The Book of the Dead
by MyNameIsNick
Summary: It was suppose to be an ordinary camping trip in a cabin, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Sure, Xander couldn't remember why they were going in the first place, but it sounded like fun...until they found that book. Season 4/5. BtVS/Evil Dead
1. Chap 1 The Cabin

A/N: I know, I know, I hate these things too, but I need to put at least one on here, so here's my "Author's Note." I'm semi-new to the Fanfiction(dot)net world. Like, I'm a ghost. I read your stories and occasionally leave an annonymous comment, but this is the first story I've ever published. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to read, review and hey, even leave some feedback. It's so easy, a caveman can do it! (Wow, I'm really working the copyright infringment today. Go me.)

And just a little back ground trivia for all you folks reading at home, or at work...or at school (in that case, why aren't you learning?!): This idea came to me when a friend and I were watching an episode of Buffy and she goes, "Wow, Nicholas Brendon looked a lot like Bruce Campbell back in the day." I knew that was a story just waiting to be written, but I couldn't think of where in the Buffyverse timeline it belonged. I finally settled on the hiatus **between seasons 4 and 5**. **Riley/Buffy** fans, now is your time to rejoice.

...okay. Time's over.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it. Any of it. Not "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," not "Evil Dead"...none of it. If I did, I'd be rich, living next door to Scarlett Johanson or something. I don't even own this computer; that's just how poor I am. So... to all you studio exects. out there who read fanfiction, don't sue me. Really. Please. 'Cause you'll get nothing...for I have nothing.

(In case you didn't read any of the text above; this is a **Buffy/Evil Dead** fanfic...'cause I'm just that epic. Some of the lines may sound familiar. There's a reason for that, but you'll have to read the _whole_ story to understand why. Hint hint. Oh, and any grammer mistakes are mine. I tried to catch them all, but I'm not perfect. If you find any, feel free to point them out.)

Chapter 1 - The Cabin.

"Sometimes I feel I've got to -dun dun- run away, I've got to -dun dun- get away from the pain you-" Xander groggily opened his eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight that filtered through the window of, well, where ever he was. He realized he was already in the sitting position, though the back of his head was resting against something leathery. Lifting his head up, he quickly realized he was in a car; a big car. Sitting to his right was his best friend since childhood, Willow Rosenberg. To his left was his ex-demon girlfriend, Anya. Driving what he recognized as his Uncle Rory's old Cadillac, was Riley Finn and in the passenger seat herself sat the blonde Slayer, Buffy Summers, singing away with the radio.

"Whoa oh, tainted love. A whoa oh, tainted love. Now I know I've got to-"

"Well, look who finally woke up," Riley said as he glanced in the rear view mirror. Buffy looked over her shoulder and smiled at her dark haired friend as the girls kept singing along to the radio.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About twelve hours."

"Twelve hours?!"

"Yeah. You crashed back in Illinois," Anya said as she brushed his bangs from his eyes.

"Illinois? Where are we now?!"

"Tennessee." He closed his eyes, feeling a migraine settling in. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again.

"Should I even bother asking where we're going or why?" Willow frowned at her friend.

"Don't you remember?" The teen paused, then shook his head no. This made the Wiccan look even more concerned.

"Does camping in the mountains ring a bell?"

"You must still be tired," Anya stated, shooting Willow a frustrated look. "After all, you did all the driving the first two days."

"I did?"

"Yeah," Buffy joined in. "Non stop. You were like a machine, Xand."

"A really slow driving machine," his girlfriend added, receiving an irrataed look from the young man next to her, which she happily ignored.

"This is going to be so great," the blonde slayer exclaimed as the song on the radio changed to some bubbly, preteen, pop song. "Camping in an old fashioned cabin, all to ourselves for a whole week!"

"A whole week," Xander started up again. "What about patrol?"

"Giles gave me the week off," she replied with a simple shrug. Xander blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he was hearing.

"Giles just...gave you the week off?" Buffy nodded. "What about that whole 'unto every generation' thing, and 'destiny,' and what not?"

"A slayer deserves a break every now and then from the slaying and maiming."

"What's the matter, Xander? You were all for the vacation back in Sunnydale."

"I was?" Receiving concerned and confused looks from every one of his friends, he gave a weak smiled and tried to laugh it off. "I mean, yeah, I know I was, but I didn't really think about it at the time. Having second thoughts here."

"Well, it's kind of late to turn around now," Riley pointed out. Sighing, Xander rested his head against the leather seat. His head was pounding and he was still confused, but he was tired of his friends staring at him like he was growing a second head or something.

"Alright, who's got the map," Riley asked after a few minutes. The three in the back seat began searching around on the floor for it before Anya reached behind Xander."Here it is! Xander was sitting on it."

"Take a look at it for me, will you? There's suppose to be a dirt road up ahead we've got to turn on to. It leads to a bridge." Anya glanced at the map before sighing in frustration and handing it to Xander.

"You look. I can't read these stupid things." Directing his dark eyes to the map in his hands, he frowned. It looked like something a kindergartener had drawn. How were they suppose to get to the cabin with that?

"Uh, okay. We're right here," he muttered, pressing his index finger to the paper. "So, the road we need to turn on is...no, that can't be right."

"What road, Xand?"

"Says here it's 'Blood's Pointe Road.'" He looked up from the map. "That's a joke, right? There can't really be a road called that. That's just...weird." Up ahead, an eighteen wheeler was heading towards them. Riley reached his arm behind him and Xander put the map in the man's hand so he could see for himself.

"He's right," Riley said after a minute, tossing the map back to Xander. "The road's called 'Blood's Pointe Road.'" An eerie silence fell over the car. Willow sighed, resting her head against the window and looked out at the forest. It was well into fall, the once colorful leaves now a dull brown, most of which had already fallen from the branches and blanketed the ground. She furrowed her brow, sitting up slightly as she stared intently out the window. She could've sworn she saw something moving in the forest...

There was a sudden loud blare from the car horn, followed by the deep honking from the semi-truck coming towards them. The wheel jerked under Riley's grip, sending the gang straight at the oncoming truck. Everyone in the car screamed as Riley tightly grabbed the wheel, turning it as best as he could. At the last second, the car jerked and narrowly missed the truck -everyone letting out a heavy sigh of relief seconds later.

"Is everyone okay," the soldier asked, taking his eyes off the road for a moment.

"I think so," Buffy muttered, hugging her arms around herself.

"What the hell was that about," Xander asked.

"I dunno. It was like...the wheel just jerked out from under my hand! It didn't want to turn!"

"I thought you said your uncle just had this thing looked over, Xander."

"Um, well, he...might've."

"Well, tell him to have it checked again. There's something seriously wrong with it." Riley paused, then added, "At least the horn works." He hit the center of the steering wheel, the car letting out a loud beep as they drove past two yuppies wandering along the side of the road.

"What's this cabin like anyways, Riley? You never did tell us."

"I'm not too sure, really. A friend of mine has had it in her family for decades. Her great grandfather built it by himself. She said she and her family used to come up and visit when she was little, and her parents still live here during the summer. They're off on some expidition right now, so they're lending it to us for the week."

"That was nice of them."

"Yup."

"And since people actually still live here," Buffy began, looking to her boyfriend, "It must be in good condition then."

"Again, I'm not sure. Her parents are getting pretty old. Can't really fix the place up like they used to."

"Well, if they're in good enough shape to travel, then I'm sure the place is fine, Buffster," Xander said from the back seat, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Here we are, 'Blood's Pointe Road.'" The car turned onto the dirt road, slowly traveling up the winding mountain. After a few minutes, they drove past a sign that read, "Dangerous bridge. Travel at own risk. 3 tons load limit." There was a slight bump and the car began crossing the wooden bridge. As they made their way slowly across it, Willow held her breath. She could hear it rocking and creaking from underneath and she was sure it would give way any moment.

"This thing looks like it's older than God," Buffy muttered as they heard some strange clunking coming from underneath the bridge.

"It's lasted this long, Buff. What are the chances of it collapsing while we're crossing?"

"Xander, please say you did not just do that."

"Do what?"

"Jinxed us."

"Oh." Everyone held their breath as they neared the end of the bridge. Anya shot a glare at her boyfriend, making him coware away slightly.

"That was close," Riley said once they had gotten back on solid ground. Looking at the dark haired teen in the rear view mirror, he said, "Xander, you're not allowed to talk again until we get to the cabin."

"What?!" After a brief pause, Xander nodded. "Okay, fine."

------------

Riley stared at the wooden swing in confusion. It was slowly rocking from side to side, banging everytime it hit the log cabin. In his hand, he held an old rusty skeleton key to unlock the door, however he had been sidetracked by the taunting banging coming from the rotten swing. Taking a deep breath, he inserted the key and turned, the swing freezing on the spot at the same time. Looking over his shoulder at his friends, he shrugged weakly.

"Wind must've died down." Anya leaned over to Xander and whispered,

"What wind?"

Riley entered the dark cabin, watching a cloud of dust rise up, reflecting in the sunlight. It looked like the place had been abandoned for years and he silently wondered if he had the right cabin after all.

"Geez, Buffy! What'd you do, pack your entire bedroom?"

"Oh, shut up, Xander," she joked, handing him two more of her large duffel bags.

"You know what I don't get? You're the Slayer. You have all this super strength. I don't."

"So?"

"So why do I have to carry all you girls' stuff?"

"Because you're just that nice, Xand," Willow added in, helping Anya lift one of her bags on top of Buffy's. Xander groaned as his girlfriend closed the trunk of the car and followed Buffy and Willow inside.

Riley exited out the back door, wandering out towards the run down workshed. Inside were dozens of tools, lying about on a work table as well as mounted on the walls. Some of the tools he could've sworn looked like those used in those campy 80's horror movies his dad used to watch. Beginning to feel uneasy, he stepped out of the workshed, closing the door behind him.


	2. Chap 2 Darkness Falls

A/N: It just needed another chapter. It seemed so...empty otherwise. So, a "first story" special: Two chaps. for the price of one! Lucky you! Oh, and if you're wondering why it's rated M...go watch Evil Dead. You'll understand.

Disclaimer: (See chapter one.)

**Chapter 2 - Darkness Falls**

The sun had completely set by the time the gang had settled in and dinner was ready. Everyone gathered around the long dining table as Buffy and Riley brought the food out. After taking their seats, conversation quickly quieted as they all dug in, enjoying their first good meal in days. After all, they could only handle so much greasy fast food on the road.

"This is really good, Buffy," Willow said as she took another bite from her dinner. The blonde smiled brightly.

"Thanks! I made it all by myself!" Sitting next to her, Riley loudly cleared his throat. Her smiled faded slightly as she glanced at him. "Okay, so I had a little help."

"Xander, you should stand up and give a speech," Anya whispered to him as he hungrily took a bite out of a seasoned chicken leg.

"What? Why?"

"Well, because that's what men are suppose to do. At a memoriable event or honorable occasion, a man is suppose to stand up and give a speech of some sort, or at least a word of encouragement and thanks to his peers."

"I think you've got that confused with 'going into battle.'" He nearly chocked on his food when he felt a sharp kick to his shin. "Ow!"

"Everything okay there, Xander," Buffy asked.

"Just peachy," he muttered. Feeling his girlfriend's intense glare, he sighed heavily. Wiping his mouth with his napkin, he slowly stood from his seat and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Um, excuse me, everyone?" He felt all eyes turn to him and he quickly grew nervous. "I just wanted to toast to, uh, this wonderful occasion. Y'know, there probably won't be many times where we'll get to do something like this, what with you guys going to school and Buffy's slaying and my...um, working two jobs." He paused, trying to finish his train of thought. "Anyway, yeah. I just wanted to say I'm really going to enjoy this time I get to spend with you guys. To friendship," he finished lamely. The group raised their glasses and all tapped them together.

"Are you happy now," he muttered, taking his seat.

"Yes. Very."

"That was a good speech, Xand," Willow said after a few minutes. "Way better than that one at Thanksgiving a few years ago."

"Why? What happened," Riley asked, looking from the red head to Xander.

"Let's just say I've gotten better at my inspirational speech making."

"He finished it with, 'May the force be with you.'"

"Real original, Xander," Buffy said with a smile.

"Again, I've had a lot of practice since then."

"Oh," Willow began excitedly, "Remember in second grade when you-" She was suddenly cut off by a loud bang coming from the main room of the cabin. Everyone quickly rose from their seats and rushed into the other room. The cellar door that was built into the floor was wide open, leading into darkness.

"Did the wind do that," Xander wondered aloud as Anya nervous held onto his arm.

"Wind can't do that." Willow looked at her friends nervously before directing her fearful attention onto the opening.

"Do you think someone is hiding down there?"

"There's only one way to find out," Riley replied, grabbing the flashlight off the bookcase. "I'll be right back."

"Riley, wait. I'm going with you." He paused on the stairs and looked back up at Buffy.

"No, you wait here. It won't take me long. Besides, if something is down there, you gotta stay up here and make sure nothing happens to them." After a slight hesitation, she nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just hurry up." He nodded and disappeared down into the black cellar. A clock hanging on the wall quietly ticked as the seconds rolled by. Willow and Xander looked at each other nervously while Buffy stared intently at the entrance to the cellar. Seconds quickly turned into a minute, then another and another. Anya leaned in a little closer to Xander.

"Maybe he got lost," Anya mumbled. The three Scoobies stared at her before slowly shaking their heads.

"Riley," Buffy called. They all held their breaths as they listened. However, there was not a single sound.

"Riley!"

"Hey, Riley, c'mon! Answer us!" Xander sighed. "Look, if this is your idea of a joke, it's not very funny, man. You're really freaking out the girls!"

"Maybe one of us should go down there and check to see if he's okay," suggested Willow.

"I'll go." Buffy and Xander exchanged looks. Sure, they said it at the same time, but only one of them was really going to go. They furrowed their brows at each other, challenging the other to make the first move.

"Xander, I'm the Slayer. Whatever's down there is no match for me."

"How do you know something's actually down there? What if he just fell and hit his head on the wall or something? He can't hear us. I'll go."

"No, I'm going and that's final."

"Ha! Says you." Willow sighed angrily and crossed her arms, stepping between the two teens.

"Guys, we're getting no where fast with the fighting."

"She's right, Buffy. Let's solve this like real adults. 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.' Winner gets to go down there."

"Fine."

"Fine!" Willow angrily walked out of the main room as the two stared hard at the other, moving their fists in the air.

"Rock..."

"Paper..."

"Scissors!" Buffy had gone with paper while Xander, like always, went with scissors.

"Ha! I win!" He grabbed the flashlight Willow handed him once she had returned and stood at the top of the stairs, shinning the bright beam into the darkness. His stomach twisted in knots as he gulped nervously.

"Okay, here I go. I'll be back in a sec." As he slowly descended the wooden stairs, he began to feel a sense of deja vu. He'd seen this place before, or at least he thought. It seemed so familiar. Perhaps Uncle Rory had a place like this once when Xander was a little kid.

Once he reached the cold, dirt floor, he slowly ran his flashlight beam around the room. Strange and deformed gourds hung from the rafters. Droplets of icy water fell on his bare arms. Looking up, he found a rusted, leaky pipe that ran along the ceiling. He followed it with his light until it reached what he thought was a dead end, but instead found a door built into the stone wall. The door, made of rotting wood, was hidden behind boxes of God knows what, and was almost perfectly camouflaged with the wooden book cases and old furniture.

"Do you see him down there, Xand?" The dark haired young man looked up at his concerned friends leaning over the entrance.

"No, but there's a door. I'm going to see what's behind it." Taking a deep breath, he crept along, glancing at the shadows for any sign of movement. Once he was inches from the door, he reached his hand out and turned the knob. There was a loud pop as it turned and he pulled the door open, the loud creaking echoing off the walls. He was met with complete blackness. A few steps into the room, he felt a sudden chill that took over his entire body. The hairs on his neck stood up and his breathing became faster and more shallow.

"This is bad. This is very bad," he muttered as he glanced around the room. "I should leave." His flashlight suddenly began to flicker. "Damn it!" The light went completely out, leaving him stranded in the dark. He quickly beat the light against his palm a few times, bringing it back to life. Glaring at it, daring it to go out again, he finally sighed, sure that it would remain on. Pointing it back in front of him, Xander let out a rather girlish scream when he realized someone was standing mere inches from his face.

"Whoa, Xander, relax! It's just me," Riley exclaimed, grabbing the young man by the shoulders.

"Riley?! Merciful Zeus! You scared me half to death, man! What are you thinking, creeping around here like that?!"

"Sorry."

"Why didn't you answer us when we called for you?" Riley shrugged.

"I didn't hear you guys."

"Oh. Well, the girls are pretty freaked out. How about you come back upstairs?"

"Just a sec. Come here, you gotta see this!" Riley grabbed Xander's wrist and pulled him into another room, one that looked like an office. On the desk was an old tape recorder, as well as some old papers with foreign writing on them. A tattered book rested on the corner of the desk too. There were a few weapons and ammo as well, something Xander thought as out of place for an office.

"I bet Giles would really like this," Riley stated with a smile as he picked up an odd looking knife. The blade looked about eight inches long, sharpe and shimmering like it had been recently polished. The handle itself felt like it was made of bone, which had been carved to look like the backbone of a skeleton. The bottom of the handle was carved like a skull, its mouth open as if it were screaming.

"What's that?"

"I don't know. Maybe one of the girls can tell us. I want to know what's on this tape recorder too."

"Oh my God," Xander exclaimed, picking up the book. "Riley, look at this thing!" The cover seemed to be coated in some sort of hard, waxy material and it looked like it had a nose, as well as a mouth and eyes carved into it. He carefully opened the book and became more creeped out. Sketches of mutilated bodies, diagrams of deformed eyes and strange symbols littered the pages. The text itself was in a redish brown ink, some droplets of it on the corners of the pages.

"And people wonder why I was never into books," the brunette teen said with a grin. Riley chuckled as he picked up a twelve gage shotgun that rested along the edge of the desk, up against the wall.

"Let's get this stuff upstairs. I'll bet Buffy, or at least Willow will be interested in it."

"Sure." Xander closed the book and helped Riley carry the items upstairs, leaving some things behind.

------------

"About time," Anya said as Xander and Riley emeraged from the cellar. "Geez, you guys take forever!"

"Look what we found," Xander said in a sing-song voice as Riley set the tape recorder on the floor. Everyone gathered around, taking a seat as Xander put the rest of the items aside.

"You found all of this in the cellar," Buffy asked, inspecting the skeleton dagger.

"Yeah, there was this office hidden in the way back. Couldn't have been any larger than one of the closets."

"This must be at least thirty years old," Willow said, studying the tape recorder.

"That's what I thought," Riley added. "My dad used to have one like this when I was really little. He rarely let me use it though."

"Well, let's see what's on it!" Xander reached over and hit the "play" button. The tape rotated a few times, a crackling noise being made. A moment later, a man's voice sounded over the  
speaker. He started talking about excavating ruins in search of a book and studying it.

"I believe I have made a significant find in the Candarian ruins," he droned on.

"Does anybody else think this was Giles' idea," Buffy asked as she listened to the man talk about a book called, "Necronomicon Ex Mortis," or "The Book of the Dead." Everybody nodded their heads in agreement.

"Book of the Dead?" Xander groaned. "We can't escape it!"

"Relax, Xand. We don't even know if this is real. It could all be some practical joke."

"The book is bound in human flesh and inked in human blood," the man stated. Xander immediately paled as he glanced at the book next to him. He could feel his dinner threatening to make an encore appearence for the night.

"Honey, are you okay," Anya whispered. Afraid to open his mouth, Xander nodded and gave her a weak smile as he wiped his hands on his jeans. The group continued to listen as the man explained the book's meanings, the demons, and ressurrection incantations inside of it. They all shared looks when he went on to explain how these demons, the dead which are never _really_ dead, are able to possess the living. After a few more minutes, Riley began to fast forward it.

"Maybe this is where he explains how it's all a hoax or something," he muttered, hitting the "play" button again.

"Tantir ah mis trobeen ha zar ta."

"What the..." Xander trailed off, turning up the volume as the man continued on. "Wil, do you know what he's saying?"

"No, I don't recognize it." Xander turned to his girlfriend who was staring at the recorder curiously.

"Ahn?"

"I don't recognize the language either."

"It must be really old then!" Seeing the glare Anya gave him, he sheepishly added, "And I mean that in the nicest was possible, dear."

"Kanda..."

"Maybe we should turn it off," Willow said quietly, nervously running her hands together.

"Kanda," the man repeated, this time a little louder.

"Yeah, Riley, turn it off," Buffy said, her face a combination of fear and disgust.

"Kanda!"

"Look out," Riley shouted just as a large tree branch broke through the front window of the cabin. Xander and Anya jumped up, as they were closest to the window, Xander shielding his girlfriend with his body.

"Is everyone okay," Riley asked after a minute. Xander and Buffy glared at the soldier. Anya was still clutching the back of Xander's canary yellow, Hawiian button up and Willow had taken off to her room. Sighing, Buffy headed off after Willow, Anya following close behind.

"Riley, we told you to turn it off," Xander said angrily. "What were you thinking?!"

"You could've turned it off too, you know. It's not like you don't have any hands. Besides, I was expecting him to say it was a joke. Like an old radio show or something."

"Well, even if it was a joke, it's not funny. One of us could've really gotten hurt," the dark haired Scooby said as he pushed the tree branch out the window. He closed the shutters and looked at the broken glass that scattered on the floor. Sighing, he muttered, "I'll go look for a broom."


	3. Chap 3 Willow Trees

A/N: I know it's moving pretty slowly so far, but hopefully this chapter is a little more action packed. The chapters will be getting a little longer after this point, so hopefully that's a plus. Don't forget to review! I'm really curious to know what you awesome readers think! And without further ado, I give you chapter 3.

Disclaimer: (see chapter 2.)

Chapter 3 - Willow Trees.

Buffy sighed as she closed the door to Willow's room. It had been nearly half an hour since the accident with the window, but still Willow refused to leave her bedroom.

"How is she?" Buffy jumped and quickly spun around before letting out a relieved sigh.

"God, Xander. I didn't even hear you come down the hall."

"Sorry, just worried about her." Buffy put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"She'll be okay. You know how she is when she gets really freaked out. Remember when we took her to see the midnight showing of 'Frogs?' She wouldn't leave her house for a week!" Xander smiled nostalgically. "How's Anya doing?"

"Okay. She's taking a nap right now." He glanced down the hall, making sure nobody -namely Riley- was listening. Lowering his voice, he said, "She told me something, Buff. Something bad. She's heard of the Necronomicon and she thought it was just a myth...that is, until tonight. I guess it's suppose to be this really powerful, evil book or something. It brings the dead to life, and raises evil, demonic spirits. Do you think Willow would know any protection spells we could use? Maybe just for tonight until we can leave tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I'd ask her, but she's really freaked out, Xand. It's really serious." He sighed, running his hand through his short, dark hair.

"Okay. I don't know about what everyone else thinks, but my vote is we leave tomorrow. The earlier the better. There's something weird going on, and I really don't want to stick around to find out what it is."

"I'll talk to Riley, but I agree. We should really get out of here." They stood quietly in the hall, listening to the sounds of crickets outside and the ticking of the clock out in the main room. Somewhere, off in the distance, thunder rumbled.

"Get some sleep, Buffy."

"You too. See you in the morning." Xander nodded and went back into the room he and Anya shared while Buffy went down the hall to her and Riley's room.

Willow sat on her bed, dressed in her over sized t-shirt and short black shorts. She could hear Buffy and Xander out in the hall, talking in hushed tones. She knew they were talking about her, but she had also heard something about the book. Something Xander knew. Taking a shaky breath, Willow reached into her backpack and pulled out her notebook. She knew they would need a protection spell, and she had already thought ahead. The only problem was she hadn't had a chance to make it work. As soon as they had settled into their rooms earlier, before dinner, she was writing in her notebook when suddenly it felt like some force took over her hand.

Using her like a puppet, it forced her to draw what looked like a strange, square shaped face. At the time, she had no idea what it meant, and was too afraid of ruining the fun evening by mentioning it to the rest of the group. However, after seeing the book Xander had found in the basement, she knew something else was at work and they needed that protection spell more than ever.

A sudden knock against her window pulled her from her thoughts. Slowly she got to her feet, walking over to the window and looked outside. All she could see was the outline of the woods, blanketed by darkness. There wasn't a living creature in sight. Still feeling a little jumpy, Willow closed her notebook and put it back in her bag. With her pencil in hand, holding it like a stake, she walked out into the main room of the cabin. The lights were on, but no one was in the room. In the corner, the cellar door was wide open.

"I thought the boys had closed this after they came up," she muttered, walking over to the door.

"Xander? Riley? Buffy? Anybody down there?" Willow stared into the darkness, nervously twisting the pencil in her hands. "Guys, can you hear me?"

"Join us," a voice hissed up at her. "Join us!"

"Guys, seriously, this is not funny! I'm having a major wiggens up here!" There was a sudden bang that came deep within the cellar. It continued, each time sounding closer and closer, until it was at the bottom of the steps.

"Join us," the voice screamed one last time. At that moment, Willow didn't care whether her friends were coming with her or not. She was getting the hell out of Dodge! The pencil slid out from her hands as she ran to the front door, throwing it open and running outside. The battered up Buick was parked to the side of the cabin, but with no key or proper spell to get it started, it was useless to her. The only way she would be able to leave was by foot. Taking a finally glance back at the cabin, she began her way through the thick woods.

"Help! Somebody! Buffy! Xander!"

"Eh...five more minutes."

"Help!" Stirring awake, Xander sat up in bed. Anya was peacefully sleeping at his side. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was just having another one of those "hero dreams" again.

"Xander!" He opened his eyes wide.

"Willow?!" Jumping over Anya, he ran out of the room and into his best friend's room. Her bed was made, her bags were still in their places, but the red headed Wiccan was gone. There was a loud, blood curtling scream and he ran back out into the hall, almost smack dab into Buffy.

"Who is that?!"

"Willow!" Frantic, heavy poundings came on the front door, and the two quickly ran down the hall and to the main room, Riley and Anya close behind.

"Help! Please!" Buffy unlocked the door, which quickly flew open as a petrified Willow came running in. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her body covered in scratches and stickes and dead leaves were tangled in her hair. She quickly ran into Xander's arms, her body trembling.

"My God, Willow! What happened?! Did something in the woods do this to you?"

"The woods, the woods," she muttered over and over, sobbing into his shoulder.

"It's okay, Willow. You safe with us," Riley said as he joined his girlfriend out on the porch, looking for the perverted perp.

"Willow, who did this to you," Xander asked, gently pushing her back so he could look her in the eyes.

"The woods."

"Who in the woods?"

"Not who; it! It did this to me!" Xander furrowed his brow.

"She means the woods themselves did this," Anya pointed out.

"I get that, but...but how? I mean, that's impossible!"

"Not really, Xander. With the way our luck runs-"

"Anya, please." He sighed and looked down at his best friend. He had seen that look before, more times than he'd want to admit. That sad, ashamed look. People looked like that all the time on "Law and Order: SVU," but there was no way Willow could have been...

"I just want to go," she said quietly, wiping her nose on the back of her arm.

"I guess I could give you a ride into town, or something. Do you want me to do that?" She nodded.

"What's going on," Buffy asked as she and Riley entered the cabin again.

"I'm taking Willow into town. I think we should report this to the police as well."

"No."

"But Wils, if there's somebody out there who's-"

"No, Xander." He pressed his lips tightly together in frustration. He couldn't stay mad at her for long though, and especially not when she was in that sort of state. Picking bits of leaves from her hair, he gave her a small smile.

"Just let me get my coat." A minute later, he came back with his shoes and coat on, as well as another one of his t-shirts and a blanket.

"Here," he said quietly, handing them to her. She nodded thanks and promised to meet him out at the car when she was ready. A few minutes later, Willow was sitting in the passenger seat of the Cadillac while Xander tried to get it running.

"You know, Uncle Rory and I should really have a talk. I mean, it's great that he lets me borrow all these old cars, but you would think he'd lend me one that actually _works_." She gave him a weak smile and rested her head against the window. Sighing, he turned the key one last time. The engine roared to life and he let out a triumphant laugh. Turning on the headlights, he pulled out to the road, watching the three figures on the porch grow smaller until they faded out of sight.

"Well I don't know if all that's true, 'cause you got me and baby I got you," Xander sang, half in key, as he looked over at Willow. She stared out the window, watching the dark forest go by. Hoping music would cheer her up, he kept singing.

"Babe, I got you babe. I got you babe." He turned up the volume a bit as Cher continued to sing the next verse.

"C'mon Wils," he began, gently nudging her arm. "It's your part. If you don't sing, then who'll be the Cher to my Sonny?" It was like talking to a very pale, small, shaky wall with red hair. Sighing, he gently rested his hand on her knee, studying her with concern.

"Look, Willow, I don't know what happened out there in those woods tonight, but if it was a person who did this to you, you gotta let me know, okay? I don't want to see you go through this sort of pain. I mean, I remember this movie on Lifetime once where-"

"Xander, look out!" He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden scream coming from his passenger. His dark eyes widened as he turned his attention back to the road and slammed on the brakes, just in time to keep the Buick from driving off the cliff where the bridge used to be.

"What is going on here," he exclaimed as he got out of the car. Carefully searching through the thick fog that was beginning to appear, he looked over the edge. Nothing was left of the bridge except the sign.

"This is definitely not of the good," he muttered before getting back in the car. "There's gotta be another way into town. A trail, maybe, or something. A back road, perhaps. Okay, just gotta think..."

"It's trying to keep us here, Xander."

"Huh," he asked, coming out of his muse. "What is?"

"The Evil. We've woken it and now it's coming after us. It won't let us leave."

"Willow, that's crazy talk! I mean, you're probably right, but you and I both know that bridge could barely hold a bird, let alone an entire car. It was a miracle that we crossed it the first time. Now, there's got to be another way out of here. Do you remember seeing any signs of a trail or another road? I wish I would've left the map in the car. At least then we'd have something to-"

"Xander?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go back to the cabin now?"

"Oh, so now you want to go back," he exclaimed, half jokingly.

"No, but," she paused, staring straight ahead with wide eyes.

"But what?" He studied the look on her face for a moment, waiting for her to reply. "Willow, you're really worrying me here. What's going on?"

"There's something there...in the fog. It's coming this way." He furrowed his brow at her, but noticing how she never took her eyes away from the front of the car, he sighed and gave in, looking ahead too. At first, he wasn't sure what he was seeing. It was something, definitely something, and it was coming towards them at a rapid speed. All he need was to hear the growling and moaning coming from it to convince him to throw the car in reverse and drive backwards a good twenty yards down the road.

"This is not happening," he muttered over and over, looking over his shoulder, then to the front of him, seeing it -whatever it was- coming faster. Turning the car around and putting it in drive, he floored it down the dirt road, through the gray fog and back to the cabin.

"What the hell," Riley exclaimed as the front door of the cabin flew open and Xander and Willow came rushing in. Xander quickly locked the door behind them and ran to the window while Willow took a seat on the couch.

"Xander, what is it?"

"I dunno...a thing," he stuttered, staring out into the foggy night.

"A thing?"

"A _thing_."

"What thing?"

"I don't know! A thing! There was this thing and the fog, and we were there and the bridge was gone then the thing...it came and it chased us, Buffy!"

"So, you led it back here," Riley deadpanned.

"What did it look like," Buffy asked, joining her friend at the window.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I...couldn't see it very well. There was a lot of fog."

"You were running from something you couldn't even see?" Xander shot a dark look at Riley before running a shaky hand through his hair. Willow joined him, quietly staring out the window. Buffy looked to her red haired friend.

"Do you still see it, Willow?"

"No. It's gone." Xander sat down next to Anya on the couch while Riley motioned for Buffy to follow him down the hall. Still shaking, Xander rested his head on Anya's shoulder.

"I believe you about the thing, Xander." He smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Ahn."

"Even if you have no idea what 'it' is or what it looks like. I mean, sure, you and Willow came running in here like a pair of chickens, and you started rambling like an insane person, but I  
believe you. I've made plenty of men see invisable things when I was a vengence demon." Xander lifted his head and looked at his girlfriend.

"Thanks, Ahn," he repeated with sarcasim.

"Oh! I wanted to show you," she began, getting up and picking the flesh looking book off the floor. "I was able to use a bit of my wonderful knowledge to decode this here," she began,  
pointing to alien-like writing.

"Great! Have you told Buffy?"

"Yeah, we were working on it together while you and Willow were out."

"So, what does it mean, Anya?"

"Well," she began, pointing to a strangle symbol on the page. "This means-"

"Night." Anya looked up at Willow.

"Right. And this here means-"

"Dawn."

"Right again. This is getting annoying," she said, looking to her boyfriend. "Make her stop."

"How about this one," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh, this one translates to-"

"Life. Death. Soul. Suffer!" Xander and Anya looked over to the window where Willow sat. The red head suddenly turned around, letting out a wild manical laughter.

"Oh my God," Xander exclaimed, getting to his feet while Buffy and Riley entered the room.

"Willow!" She floated up off the ground, hanging in the air like a puppet on strings. Her bright eyes were rolled back into her head, only the whites showing as she jerked her body,  
twisting her head from side to side. Her porcelin skin was now a deathly gray color with black and blue veins crawling up the sides of her face like vines.

"You have woken us from our sleep," she screamed, her voice sounding like many at the same time. Some were deep, others sounded in pain. "Now you shall die, just like the others  
before you!"

"Willow," Xander shouted, running towards her. He was stopped by Buffy grabbing his wrist and pulling him back.

"She possessed, Xander! That's not Willow!"

"One by one we will take you," the demon cackled, pointing a long, bony finger at the group. "You shall all die!" It let out an ear splitting scream before Willow's body dropped to the floor  
with a heavy thud. Xander took a few cautious steps towards her.

"Xander, get back! It's a trap," Anya exclaimed, rushing over to her boyfriend to keep him from being murdered.

"But...she..."

"We need to find something to chop her up with," Riley said, look around for an axe.

"What?! No! We can't! We can't chop up Willow!" He looked desperately to his girlfriend. "Isn't there a spell or something? Anything that'll fix this?!"

"Xander, sweety, you heard what Buffy said. You witch friend is dead now, so come sit back down on the couch with me, okay? See? I'm not possessed." Xander looked from the body of  
his best friend to his very much alive, and nonpossessed girlfriend.

"Come sit down," Anya coaxed. Slowly, Willow's hand reached for the pencil lying on the floor. A sudden scream and Willow stabbed the Number two pencil into Anya's ankle.

"Xander, move," Riley yelled as he pushed the stunned Scooby aside. Willow pulled the pencil out of Anya's ankle and tried to stab Riley, but he was too quick. In a matter of seconds, Riley and Buffy had managed to contain Willow in the cellar, chaining the door shut. They waited a moment to catch their breaths before looking over at Xander, who held Anya in his lap. A pool of blood had gathered on the floor where her ankle rested as Xander held his hand to her wound, applying pressure.

"I...I saw an axe in the workshed," Riley panted, slowly standing up from the chained cellar door. "I'll be right back."


End file.
